Wednesday, October 31, 2012

* BAIT 3D is a really enjoyable balance of intentional trash, unintentional trash and a surprisingly decent situation. Starring the dude from THE LOVED ONES, one of the CHRONICLE kids and that guy from NIP/TUCK, it's the ridiculous turn from Dan Wyllie (ANIMAL KINGDOM, CHOPPER and THE HUNTER) that you need to watch out for. If there's one Australian robbery-turned-tsunami-turned-shark-attack film you need to see in 3D this year...

* Make My Movie winner HOW TO MEET GIRLS FROM A DISTANCE finally makes it back from NZFF! It's a "peeping-tom rom-com" that sees our hero stalk the girl he's crushing on, to ensure that he's properly prepared to win her over. Darren over at TVNZ called it "highly amusing, utterly rewarding and a totally unmissable experience" (on the poster and here) and it apparently includes an "utterly brilliant" turn from Jonathan Brough. But then, he has always been superb:

* New Zealand documentary TĀTARAKIHI: THE CHILDREN OF PARIHAKA (NZFF 2012) is back in Rialto's e-cinema (plus has a $10 Film-Talk screening with director Paora Joseph 6 PM Friday). Forty kids take a bus-trip retracing the journey their ancestors were forced to make 130 years ago, when they were taken from their Taranaki village and locked up without trial.

* The guy who made THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, xXx and the third MUMMY flick has now made a Tyler Perry action movie, which has Matthew Fox from LOST as the baddie! I only mention ALEX CROSS because somehow it also features Jean Reno, John C. McGinley, Edward Burns and Gus Fring?

All times above are accurate at the time of publication. Your best bet would be to check Flicks or the theatre website before attending. Please let us know in the comments if you spy anything we've messed up/missed out!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

* TAI CHI HERO - the sequel to 3D Chinese martial arts flick TAI CHI ZERO from a few weeks back - is out this week, with the addition of Peter Stormare?? Expect loads more fighting, stylised intertitles, video-game noises and steam-punk contraptions.

* You can also catch Ben Affleck's latest effort this week; ARGO is based on a true story of an Iranian hostage crisis from the late 70s and has heaps of cool folks like John Goodman, Michael Parks, Philip Baker Hall, Alan Arkin, Adrienne Barbeau & Bryan Cranston in it. And speaking of Affleck and his enormous rolodex of celebrity pals;

* The director of MURIEL'S WEDDING & MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING is back with MENTAL, an Australian comedy about mental illness with Toni Collette, Anthony LaPaglia, Rebecca Gibney, Liev Schreiber & Kerry Fox.

* Manukau Event is apparently the only cinema interested in SPARKLE, a remake of a 1976 film inspired by The Supremes, this one starring Whitney Houston (in her last film role), Cee-Lo Green, Mike Epps & Derek Luke; The French, feel-good crowd-pleaser THE INTOUCHABLES is out for real this week; Sex-surrogate film THE SESSIONS has sneak weekend screenings all around town; Event & Hoyts both have a preview screening of BAIT on Wednesday - the new Australian robbery-turns-tsunami-turns-shark attack movie in 3D! And Flicks has mentioned two Bollywood films starting this week - BEST OF LUCK & CHAKRAVYUH - though I can't find screening times for either. But I'll include them in case they show up over the next few days...

* This month's FREE Japanese film playing at the University is RAINBOW KIDS (1991), a crime-comedy about a botched kidnapping and a ransom that became a media circus. 7:30 PM Thursday at the University Of Auckland (under the General Library building). FREE, dammit.

* Before HOW TO MEET GIRLS FROM A DISTANCE starts in November, there is another Film Talk screening happening at Rialto's e-cinema. Producers Ruth Korver & Andrew Beattie will be there to speak with writer/star Richard Falkner afterwards. 6 PM Wednesday.

* It's Film Society's final bow of the year! And they have a 35mm print of HIGH SOCIETY (1956) for the occasion. A musical remake of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY from 1940 (a personal favourite), this time starring Bing Crosby, Sinatra & Princess Grace. It's playing 6:30 PM Monday at Rialto Newmarket and includes Sinatra & Crosby covering the Debbie Harry / Iggy Pop track WELL, DID YOU EVAH! (to be fact-checked).

* Daniel Rutledge & David Farrier continue their monthly screenings down at the Britomart Country Club; for October, they are playing RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) this Sunday. Dinner & drink deals from 6 PM, movie starts once it gets dark enough (8-ish?).

All times above are accurate at the time of publication. Your best bet would be to check Flicks or the theatre website before attending. Please let us know in the comments if you spy anything we've messed up/missed out!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Well, it'd appear that I'm a fool. And probably a snob, too. I could live with letting one screening slip through my fingers, but SIX?!? Armageddon Expo 2012 is on this long weekend at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane. And while I'm opening the brochure after it has already begun, the six films haven't screened just yet!

* The original 1982 TRON will be playing, followed by a panel discussion with stars Bruce Boxleitner & Cindy Morgan. United Sweets Main Stage, 9:30 AM Sunday.

* It'd seem that Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan have benefited greatly from their experiences on PIRANHA 3DD and the SAW franchise. Because their follow-up to 2009's THE COLLECTOR has got Shooter McGavin in it! Those of us who think an R18 screening at 2 PM on a Labour Day is a great idea, will be at Stage Three to watch THE COLLECTION.

* I'll freely admit that I have absolutely no idea what it is that I'm talking about here (as with most of this post), but the MASS EFFECT 3 prequel film MASS EFFECT: PARAGON LOST doesn't appear to have been released before now? If that excites you, get to the United Sweets Main Stage, 10am Monday!

* Again, I am fuzzy on the details here, but TALES OF VESPERIA: THE FIRST STRIKE seems to be a 2009 anime film based on the TALES video games. It's a Production I.G. offering, who are responsible from some of my favourite Japanese animation; CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL, FLCL, DEAD LEAVES and the animated segments of KILL BILL. Stage Three, 10am Monday.

* DARKNESS RISING is the first 5 episodes of the 2010 animated series TRANSFORMERS: PRIME played together as a film. It features the original Optimus Prime and Megatron voice-actors, plus incorporates The Rock somehow? Stage Three, 3:30pm Monday!

There appear to be other shorter screenings too; anime titles such as CAT PLANET CUTIES and CARDFIGHT!! VANGUARD are getting small breaks in there somewhere, in amongst all the signings, Cosplay and panels. Dudes from GAME OF THRONES having a chat, Luke from WWF's THE BUSHWHACKERS live wrestling and Temuera Morrison there to promote FRESH MEAT...

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

* The lovely time-travel comedy SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED finally begins this week. Starring Aubrey Plaza (PARKS AND RECREATION, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD) and Mark Duplass (YOUR SISTER'S SISTER, HUMPDAY), it follows a trio investigating a man who placed a newspaper ad looking for somebody to come back in time with him.

* The Palme d'Or nominated KILLING THEM SOFTLY arrives in NZ this week, well before The States for a change. A mob story based on the novel COOGAN'S TRADE, it stars Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Sam Shepard and a bunch of other good folk. Playing pretty much everywhere. As Wikipedia kinda points out, it's NOT to be confused with this marvelous-looking erotic thriller from 2002:

* Elsewhere, Angels & Airwaves' astronaut film LOVE is playing in Rialto's e-cinema after 18 months on the festival circuit, to illustrate (as MOON did) how crazy it is to be stranded in space alone. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 is here to keep the low-budget franchise trucking along; Tim Burton is back in the claymation game with FRANKENWEENIE 3D; This week's new Bollywood film is university rom-com STUDENT OF THE YEAR; plus there are advanced screenings of the French film THE INTOUCHABLES pretty much everywhere this weekend.

* This weekend is the 2012 Indonesian Fair and they've chucked in a couple of free film screenings at the North Shore Events Centre. GARUDA DI DADAKU (Garuda on my Chest)(2009) is a film about a soccer-loving kid and plays at 1 PM. RUMAH TANPA JENDELA (The House without Windows)(2011) is about the friendship between two very different children in Jakarta, and plays at 4 PM.

* Film Society shows another 35mm print on Tuesday: Max Ophüls' LE PLAISIR (1952). It consists of three segments, each a story exploring the subject of pleasure. Do note that it's been bumped to Tuesday 6:30 PM due to Labour Day on Monday.

* It's time again for the monthly Gay Film Night presented by Number 8 Films. They are showing 2004 gay slasher flick HELLBENT (haha!) about a Hallowe'en killing spree. Plays at 6:30 PM Thursday at Rialto.

* The Auckland Art Gallery is showing THIS WAY OF LIFE (NZFF 2009) for free at 3 PM on Sunday; it's a documentary about the Karena family and their horses in the Ruahine Ranges down South. Back from this year's NZFF, TONGAN ARK is about the tiny island university, and there is a screening at the gallery 2 PM Labour Day, that costs $5 (fundraising for the struggling university itself).

All times above are accurate at the time of publication. Your best bet would be to check Flicks or the theatre website before attending. Please let us know in the comments if you spy anything we've messed up/missed out!

I mentioned Views From The Avant-Garde last week, and it seems like one event in particular garnered a lot of attention (relatively speaking): a screening of Peter Kubelka's MONUMENT FILM. Well, screening isn't really the right description, as it also includes an installation, amazing pictures of which are included in Daniel Kasman's article for MUBI.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

* The much-loved music documentary SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN is back from NZFF, playing now at Rialto, Bridgeway and the Capitol. Details of Detroitian folk musician Rodriguez' on-stage suicide vary and now a pair of uber-fans set out from South Africa (turns out he was Big in Cape Town) to discover the truth. Heart-warming, tear-jerking, a real crowd-pleaser, filled with beautiful Rodriguez songs.

* "First they took his daughter. Now they're coming for him"…Yep, it got a sequel. Like the first one, TAKEN 2 is co-written by Luc Besson, although this one is directed by his TRANSPORTER 3 pal, Mr. Megaton. It opens in multiplexes across the country today and while it looks to be filled with handguns, cellphones and Rade Serbedzija, what we're really hoping for is some classic Neeson improvisational comedy:

* There's not much else in the way of new general releases this week; we've got the new Bradley Cooper thing that nobody seems to like, called THE WORDS and a Hindi rom-com by the name of AIYYAA.

* It's Wurlitzer time again! Hollywood Cinema in Avondale will be playing Buster Keaton's silent film STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. (1928) while Ron Clark plays the keys right in front of us. The entire program usually runs near 3hrs and has sold out before, but we hope to see you there, 2PM Sunday afternoon.

* With John Davies finishing up at The Academy this weekend, he's got all sorts playing. ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975), Pink Floyd's THE WALL (1982), BEETLE JUICE (1988) and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986), plus he's chosen to close up shop with CINEMA PARADISO (1988) at 9:30PM on Sunday night if you want to go say goodbye. There are a couple of films playing under the Macedonian Film Festival heading this weekend; the new film by BEFORE THE RAIN director Milcho Manchevski, MOTHERS (preceded by the short LITTLE MATCH GIRL), as well as PUNK'S NOT DEAD. And there is even something called THE KOOKY WORLD OF ONLINE ANIMALS playing for the next few mornings, which appears to be a compilation of silly pets from YouTube?

* Film Society has Jean-Pierre Melville's 1949 film LE SILENCE DE LA MER playing on 35mm next Monday at 6:30PM. A German soldier is holed up with a Frenchman and his niece who both refuse to talk to him, and phrases like "devastatingly beautiful" and "technical brilliance" make this tale sound fascinating.

* Wednesday sees Monterey kick back in with its classic films on the big screen. David Lean's epic LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) plays at 12:30PM and hopefully they'll have their Maurice Jarre cranked up loud:

* The Changing Minds festival is spending the day at The Kenneth Myers Centre in Auckland Central this Saturday. There are free screenings of A HISTORY OF MADNESS THROUGH NZ TV AND CINEMA (1PM) and MENTAL NOTES (preceded by the 17min short BLACK & WHITE at 4PM) before a panel discussion entitled “How can film-makers represent diverse human experience in order to create positive social change?” at 5:40PM.

* And if all of that isn't enough, the Italian Film Fest has a few more days, Event has a Film Squad screening of FRANKENWEENIE 3D ($10 with combo) Sunday 3PM if for some reason you don't come for the aforementioned Wurlitzer extravaganza, Rialto have a Film Club preview of THE SESSIONS at 6:30PM on Thursday and there are preview screenings of THE INTOUCHABLES at Albany Event & Rialto all weekend. So good luck with all of that!

All times above are accurate at the time of publication. Your best bet would be to check Flicks or the theatre website before attending. Please let us know in the comments if you spy anything we've messed up/missed out!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Last year, I was at the centerpiece event of the NYFF (for a small but devoted group of film fans, anyway): Views From The Avant-Garde, an extraordinary collection of films from both respected masters and emerging practitioners of avant-garde filmmaking. It's on again this week, and Tony Pipolo previews the program for Artforum.

For the precious few who got to see it, and the smaller set within there that didn't fall asleep, Ben Rivers' film TWO YEARS AT SEA was a major highlight of the 2012 NZFF. It opens in New York soon, hence Dennis Lim profiling him for the New York Times.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

For a full listing of screen times across Auckland, Flicks or the theatre website is probably your best bet. Double-check before attending, as times change, we make mistakes, etc. Please mention anything we've forgotten in the comments, and tell us if you've found any off-the-beaten path must-sees!

CURRENT RELEASES:* The big news this week is NZ's Karl Urban in DREDD showing up in theatres. Unlike the Stallone version, this film's apparently faithful to the much-beloved original comic, and chock full of stylish violence. One can only hope that they've repurposed Anthrax's Judge Dredd-inspired anthem for the credits.

* Auckland Film Society has a 35mm print of Jacques Becker's 1952 film CASQUE D'OR this week. The promise of crime syndicate gangsters, the beauty of the Belle Époque and the titular dame Marie "Golden Helmet" have me pretty excited for this one. The following two Mondays at Film Society will also be 35mm French classics, so this week is the perfect chance to grab a $30 three-week membership! 6:30 PM Monday at Rialto Newmarket.

*Antarctica documentary THE LAST OCEAN (NZFF '12) continues until Saturday at The Vic in Devonport. Then the wonderful HOW FAR IS HEAVEN (NZFF '12) takes over in next week's Doc Spot, about the small community of Jerusalem on the Whanganui river. Chris Pryor & Miriam Smith are back to do another Q&A after the 7:30 PM screening on Sunday.

* The Italian Film Festival continues on at Rialto and Bridgeway Cinemas. We here at Auckland Cinephile have yet to hear of anyone who's been, but if you have and have recommendations, please add them in the comments.

* The Monterey doesn't appear to have its Friday night foreign film or its Wednesday/Sunday classic this week and the Winter Films have ended at the Polish Heritage Museum. But there are some interesting screenings coming up at The Peace Place in the CBD. This Monday at 7:30 PM, they are playing the animated film PERSEPOLIS (NZFF '08) based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel (I love that phrase) set during the Islamic Revolution.

* The Auckland Art Gallery has two 50 minute documentaries about Auckland's good ol' days, both with live piano accompaniment. On Saturday at 12 PM & 2 PM, AUCKLAND: CITY OF SAILS has vintage footage from all around of our city, dating from 1911 right up to 1986. Then at 12 PM & 2 PM on Sunday, FOUNDATION, FORM, FUNCTION looks at the history of structures like The Civic or the Harbour Bridge.

* And finally for the kids, Cartoon Network favorite BEN 10: OMNIVERSE plays in a limited School Holiday run at the multiplexes this Saturday and Sunday.